Completed in 2024, the Tshwane Always On Traffic Light project forms part of the Safe Passage Tshwane Programme, a public private partnership between the City of Tshwane, SDI Foundation Trust, Young Urbanists NPC, and local partner CityCon Africa. The project marked the first Safe Passage project delivered through this public private partnership model.
The project introduced load shedding free intersection technology at the corners of Lynnwood Road and Solomon Mahlangu Drive, as well as Lynnwood Road and Meerlust Street. The upgraded intersections were designed to keep traffic signals operational during power outages, improving safety, accessibility, and reliability for all road users.
Both intersections include locally developed technology with LTE connectivity and environmental sensors, allowing for remote monitoring and smarter management without requiring a constant on site presence. The intervention improves traffic flow and supports safer movement for pedestrians, cyclists, minibus taxis, public transport users, and private vehicles across a key movement corridor between Mamelodi and Garsfontein.
The project forms part of a broader vision to create safer, greener, and more connected urban infrastructure while supporting the micro economy and improving access for everyday commuters. It demonstrates how collaboration between the civic and private sectors can unlock new approaches to funding, delivering, and maintaining infrastructure in South African cities.
The Tshwane Always On Traffic Light project also laid the foundation for future Safe Passage interventions focused on non motorised transport infrastructure, safer cycling connections, and improved public lighting across the city. Future phases aim to expand reliable and safer movement corridors between Mamelodi and Pretoria East, while addressing critical lighting challenges, with only around 40 percent of Pretoria currently considered luminous at night.
